How long does Christmas last in Sweden?
by Bo Carlsson

One of the most common Christmas carols in Sweden is Nu är det jul igen (Now It's Christmas Again). The text goes on to say "julen varar än till Påska - men det var inte sant, för däremellan kommer fasta" (Christmas lasts until Easter - but that's not true because Lent comes in between).

Until Easter? Many Americans are used to thinking of Christmas as the 12-day period that in Christian theology marks the span between the birth of Christ and the coming of the Magi, the three wise men. It begins on December 25 (Christmas) and runs through January 6 (the Epiphany - the revelation of who Christ is, sometimes also called Three Kings' Day, and in Sweden commonly referred to as Trettondagen, the 13th day).

Swedes may be a little confused about when Christmas is actually over - but I suspect the tradition to make Christmas last a little longer has more to do with the desire to extend the enjoyment of the decorations, the festivities, and the lights in the darkness of winter. Indeed, with sunrise in Stockholm just before 9 AM and sunset at 3 PM at the end of December, who wouldn't like to have a little more light and warmth and cheer?

In my home in Sweden, our tradition was to decorate the Christmas tree in the evening before Christmas Eve. It was always a freshly cut spruce. Thanks to my mother's tender care (daily watering), the tree would begin to sprout new growth by the middle of January. So why throw it out? It was a reminder of new life to come as the days grew longer and the snow started melting. By the end of February, every branch was at least an inch longer than on Christmas Eve.

Tjugondag jul (Twentieth Day Yule) happens to fall on Saint Knut's Day, January 13th. Knut Levard was a Danish duke who was assassinated by his Swedish cousin and rival Magnus Nilsson on January 7, 1131 so that he could take over the Danish throne. In the aftermath of Knut's death there was a civil war which led to Knut later being declared a saint, and January 7th became Knut's Day, a name day. But this day nearly coincided with Epiphany, the thirteenth day of Christmas, so in 1680 it was moved to January 13th which then became known as Tjugondag Knut. Since the 19th century Swedes have traditionally waited until St. Knut's Day to throw out their Christmas trees.

It was a great excuse to invite the kids in the neighborhood to party. Children and adults would dance around the tree before it was taken down. The children would "plunder" the tree by removing the julgranskarameller (Christmas tree decorations containing candy wrapped in colorful paper and usually made at home or at school by the children of the household in the days before Christmas).